Field of the Invention
The present invention describes a footwear, a footwear vamp, a footwear vamp fastening element, a footwear-vamp assembly and a process for production and/or assembly of said footwear, the fastening of the vamp to the outsole being able to make the same exchangeable, in this way, ensuring easy replacement and possibility of customization of the footwear with different customized vamps, and, furthermore, allowing an extension of the footwear's lifetime. The present invention lies in the field of footwear and design industry.
Prior Art
The footwear is a piece of apparel having the primary function of protecting the feet from the environment. There is a great variety of footwear that is classified by their use and format. In some cases, socks are used along with footwear, both for protection and for the comfort of the feet. Depending on the culture and time, there are differentiations in footwear worn by men and women.
Additionally, the footwear can be worn as a means for social distinction, demonstrating wealth or political positioning of a person, while a few models are adorned with gemstones. In modern society, the final design (drawing) is dictated by the fashion industry.
In parallel, the constant increase in the variety of styles of clothes available in the market, intended for different occasions, makes it also necessary to have a great variety of shoes, in order to enable an appropriate combination with the clothes, according to the occasion and/or the model, color or style of the clothes chosen by the user.
In consequence to this situation, the user now has the need to have several different pairs of shoes, each one for a specific occasion/combination, having the inconvenience of needing to have a large space for housing the shoes and invest a high amount of money to buy different shoes, even if they end up being little worn and/or unwearable as a result of possible partial faults thereof, requiring the full exchange of footwear.
Such inconveniences are quite common, with respect to the sandals and other similar footwear, which comprise vamps, pipettes or the like associated with the outsole of footwear and, for these types of shoes, in general, the vamps, pipettes or the like are the first elements to suffer wear and/or rupture, forcing the user to replace the footwear as a whole.
In addition, the region of greatest visual prominence of footwear is defined by vamps, pipettes or the like and, thus, these have the main responsibility for providing the combination of footwear with the remaining items of clothing of the user. In this way, the need to acquire a high quantity of this type of footwear is closely related to the characteristics of vamps, pipettes, or the like, of the shoes.
With the purpose of seeking to address the above described disadvantages, a footwear becomes necessary, which allows the exchange of vamps, pipettes and/or the like, both to allow the same footwear to comprise different visuals, in accordance with the user's interest, and for seeking to prolong the lifetime thereof, further, such substitution being possible in a simplified and effective manner.
In the patent scope, some merely partially relevant documents were found, which are described below.
Document BRMU8800678-6 discloses an outsole provided with a fitting region able to allow the mounting of the ends of a vamp, which are fixed to the outsole after their displacement to a fastening region, allowing the replacement of the vamp in slippers, sandals and the like. Said fitting, however, shows a very cumbersome installation for the user, who needs to adjust the ends in an ideal position for operation in order to prevent the vamp from escaping the outsole when wearing the footwear. Additionally, when wearing the footwear, the vamp tends to move, causing the displacement of the ends, causing the vamp to escape and discomfort to the user. The present invention differs from this document by the fact that the end of the vamp is shaped to operate cooperatively with a fitting element, associated with the vamp, conferring a simple fastening with enough rigidity to ensure the fastening of the vamp to the outsole, even when wearing the footwear.
Document BRPI0306051-9 discloses a device for fixing a sandal vamp, through the mounting of its ends to a clip element, fixed through a threaded element. Although seemingly rigid, the vamp mounting proposed by document BRPI0306051-9 is very cumbersome for the user, especially with respect to passing the ends though the outsole openings. Furthermore, the cost of manufacturing the clips and threaded element are relatively high, because they demand a certain degree of precision and materials having the rigidity required for supporting the efforts of wearing the footwear. The present invention differs from this document by the fact that the end of the vamp is shaped to operate cooperatively with a fitting element, associated with the vamp, conferring a simple fastening with enough rigidity to ensure the fastening of the vamp to the outsole, even when wearing the footwear and having low cost of manufacturing, due to the simplicity of the parts involved.
Document BRMU0903677-6 discloses a sandal vamp modified for fixing to a footwear outsole, through bending and fitting its ends at the lower region of the outsole. The ends of the vamps comprise holes able to associate in projections at the lower region of the outsole. The fixing of the vamps according to document BRMU0903677-6 presents the drawback of not conferring a fastening that is effective for every possible demand of the shoe, since the detachment of the vamp may occur at any outsole fastening on a ground obstacle. The present invention differs from this document by the fact that the end of the vamp is shaped to operate cooperatively with a fitting element, associated with the vamp, conferring a simple fastening with enough rigidity to ensure the fastening of the vamp to the outsole, even when wearing the footwear and having low cost of manufacturing, due to the simplicity of the parts involved.
Document BRMU9000640-2 discloses a sandal vamp with ends associated with mobile parts provided with radial recesses, allowing them to encompass the vamp ends. The mounting region between the vamp ends and the mobile parts comprise compatible internal and external geometric characteristics. The sandal vamp described in document BRMU9000640-2 confers the fastening of the mobile parts only toward the ground, since they are supported at the geometry of the vamp ends, enabling the accidental disengagement of the vamp from the outsole, in case the end is forced downward. The present invention differs from this document by the fact that the end of the vamp is shaped to operate cooperatively with a fitting element, associated with the vamp, conferring a simple fastening with enough rigidity to ensure the fastening of the vamp to the outsole in many directions, even when wearing the footwear and having low cost of manufacturing, due to the simplicity of the parts involved.
It is noted, however, that some sandals and similar footwear already enable the attachment and detachment of their vamps or equivalent elements from the outsole, however, all of the solutions are overly cumbersome for the user, do not confer the rigidity required for using the footwear, and/or represent a high cost of manufacture.
From what is clear from the searched literature, no documents were found anticipating or suggesting the teachings of the present invention, so that the solution proposed herein has novelty and inventive step in view of the prior art.